Troubled Waters
by verdantflammabledevice
Summary: Sequel to Gravity Dragon. When strange things start happening in Lake Gravity Falls, Team Gravity Dragon is on the scene! NOTE: I don't own AD:JL or Gravity Falls.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, guys! Here's the sequel to my previous story that you all praised so highly! So, without further ado, I give you...**

**Boiling Point.**

* * *

Chapter 1

It was a peaceful evening in Gravity Falls, Oregon, and the whole town was enjoying the last hours of sunlight in the day.

Well... almost the whole town.

A twelve-year-old boy by the name of Dipper Pines was in the forest.

Running for his life.

Again.

It had started to become a routine thing for him. Every time he got the idiotic notion to venture into the Gravity Falls Forest, he ended up finding something that automatically tried to kill him.

Not that this was anything out of the ordinary. This was Gravity Falls, after all. Barely a week went by before something magical happened, causing Dipper's life to be at stake just as often.

On the plus side, it had become so routine that Dipper had started to come prepared. He always had Volume 3, of course, and ever since it got infused with an extra magical layer of protection last week, it would seem like enough of a precaution to anyone else. But since Dipper was the most paranoid twelve-year-old for miles, he didn't stop there. He had borrowed his sister Mabel's grappling hook, and also received a threat that if it got damaged in any way, shape, or form, she would brain him with a caramel apple and sic her pet pig, Waddles, on him.

Which also reminded him to take all her apples when she wasn't looking.

Along with physical precautions, Dipper had stepped up his attire as well. Because he knew he'd be in the forest past nightfall, he had traded his vest for a dark blue zipdown fleece jacket, and he'd traded his shorts for dark gray pants. He'd also deliberately left his hat at home; he didn't need it anyway, and it would surely fall off.

And now, in the process of running for his life, he was glad beyond measure that he had brought those apples.

Behind him, a tree crashed down, then another, and then another. Dipper tripped over a stump and almost landed flat on his face, but he caught himself.

_Thank you, Trixie!_ he thought. Another tree crashed behind him, and he kept moving.

This was where a wave of paranoia-induced instincts washed over Dipper. Despite the deafening noise in his ears, he heard the slightest sound and stopped in his tracks. How fortunate he did so; otherwise the giant tree falling in front of him would have crushed him flat.

He wheeled around and saw the thing that was pursuing him. It was a giant beast, about fifteen feet tall and just as wide. It was dark brown, probably because of the dirt covering its otherwise pink body. And when it roared, Dipper felt a blast of warmth- not from the thing's breath, though. It was part of the beast's aura, its being. And the strange part was that it was comfortable, almost magical.

Well, duh. Of course it was magical. He realized this because of two things. One, no animal in Gravity Falls was normal. And two, all around Dipper, flowers burst into bloom.

"What the-" Dipper's question was interrupted by another roar, and Dipper came to a third realization.

This thing was a giant pig.

Which meant...

Dipper pulled out Mabel's grappling hook and an apple. He stuck the hook through the apple, aimed it at a tree, and fired.

It hit the tree dead-center, and the pig dove toward it hungrily. It slammed into the tree right next to the hook, and Dipper noticed that the tree cracked dramatically. Almost to the point of falling over...

In a desperate attempt, Dipper pressed the trigger again, which reeled the hook back in. Or, in this case, the hook and a giant tree crashing down on an even larger pig.

The pig bellowed in pain, and with that, it disappeared in a shower of roses.

"Beautiful." Dipper picked up a rose and stuck it in his pocket.

He strolled back to the Mystery Shack without a care in the world. He was in no rush.

When he got inside, he immediately saw Wendy at the register.

"Hey, Dipper." she said boredly. "Workin' the late shift."

"Cool." He walked past the salloon doors, up the stairs, and into the guest bedroom. Mabel, Jake, Haley, Trixie, and Spud were already there.

"Hey, Dip." said Jake. "Where'd you go?"

Dipper sat down on the floor. "Oh, I killed a giant pig. Anyone up for pizza?"

* * *

**That was for you, Kitty!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, guys! Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I usually post a new chapter in a day or less. Huh. Also, sorry about the chapter length. I've been busy with school stuff, but that's going to change once school lets out! Now on with the chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 2

"The Erymanthian Boar," Dipper said. "Apparently it's supposed to be a _gift_ from the Greek god Pan."

Jake raised an eyebrow. Greek gods? In Gravity Falls? He knew it was a supernatural place, but not _this_ bizzare.

Mabel obviously wasn't satisfied. "I still can't believe you killed a giant pig!"

"Calm down, Mabel," he assured her. "It says here that it comes back in a few thousand years."

"Oh." She smiled again. "Ok! That's better!"

"I guess Pan wanted to thank me for last week," Dipper said, closing Volume 3. "That's actually kind of sad."

"What's sad about that?" Jake asked.

"Even the gods hate Gideon."

He laughed. "That makes sense."

"Dipper," Trixie said, obviously bothered by something, "tell me this. Why do you go into that creepy forest _on purpose_ if you know your life is going to be at stake?"

"I'm a curious person," he replied simply. "Curious plus creepy forest equals running for your life."

Jake's watch beeped. He checked it, and said, "Oh. Pizza's ready. Any volunteers to go pick it up?"

No one said anything.

He sighed. "Right. I'll do it, then."

He opened the window, dragoned up, and flew out. As he flew, he faintly heard Dipper say, "Dramatic exit. Nice."

He arrived at the pizza place and dragoned down. He walked inside and noticed the guy at the register had a shirt that said, "FREE PIZZA."

"Free pizza?" Jake asked, pointing.

"What?" He looked at his shirt and sighed. "Oh. No, not here. It's a long story."

Jake normally ripped right through that excuse, but he wasn't particularly interested, so he just paid the man and took the pizzas.

On his way out, Jake decided that he wasn't going to fly back. He wanted to enjoy the scenery and just chill out.

But since fate is a cruel, heartless thing, it certainly wasn't going to let Jake do this. _Especially_ Jake.

So when Jake just barely walked on the wrong patch of dirt, of course it opened up to an old pipe, and of course Jake fell in.

* * *

Jake couldn't dragon up. He couldn't call for help. All he could do was try not to get a rash from the metal as he sped down the tube.

And scream. He could also scream.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, the pipe deposited Jake in a really cold cavern of some sort. Fortunately, he landed on his hands and knees. He pulled himself off the ground and looked around.

It actually didn't look like a cavern. It was more of a supply room, or maybe a basement. Shelves ran across the walls in an orderly fashion. Scattered here and there were random metal trolleys, the kind used too transport boxes and junk.

Jake realized why it was so cold. There was water dripping on his head, as well as in random spots in the room.

Not exactly sure what he'd stumbled upon, Jake decided that he would check this place out tomorrow. Right now all he wanted was some good pizza.

Well, any pizza, actually. After all, this couldn't be better than that pizza on Joralemon Street he had whenever he went to Brooklyn.

So, with that, he tucked the pizza box under his arms and climbed back into the pipe.


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm back!**

* * *

Chapter 3

"Ok,_ please_ explain to me one more time what happened, Jakey."

Jake sighed, and Dipper could tell he was tired. "I fell down a shaft or pipe or something and landed in some kind of storage room."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Trixie said, "blah blah blah. But you lost the pizza?!"

"Trixie!"

"Ok, ok," she muttered. "I guess I should be a little concerned about- for the love of Mall Caterina, Jakey, how on earth could you lose the pizza?"

Jake rolled his eyes.

"Where was this?" Dipper asked. He, for one, cared if something suspicious was happening in Gravity Falls.

"Just outside the pizza place."

Dipper stood up and zipped up his jacket. "Lead the way."

* * *

"_Ja_-key-ey!"

"Trixie!" yelled the other five.

"Ok," she grumbled reluctantly. "I'll be quiet."

They were walking down the street toward the place where the pipe opened, and Trixie wanted none of it.

They finally came up to the opening, and Dipper noticed that it was sloped at an angle. He looked up, following where the pipe led above ground.

"That pipe leads to underneath the Gravity Falls Lake," he said. "But a storage room? That doesn't add up."

Mabel scoffed. "Does anything else in this whackjob town add up?"

"Good point." He turned back to face them. "Well, there's one way to find out why it's here."

"Call the police and request an investigation?" Mabel asked hopefully.

Dipper half closed his eyes and stared at her. "Yes, Mabel. Because this town has very competent police that will surely do anything in the middle of the night for two kids that they hate." He pointed behind him toward the lake. "We're going to find out what's going on ourselves."

Trixie sighed. "I knew you'd say that. But we're not going to start tonight, are we?"

Dipper thought for a moment, then said, "No. Not tonight. We'll investigate tomorrow. At the lake. See if anything suspicious happens."

Mabel wiped imaginary sweat from her brow. "Oh, good. I want to swim again."

Dipper rolled his eyes and put his arm around his sister. "Oh, Mabel."

"Let's go back to the Shack," said Jake. "We'll need to get some sleep if we're gonna stake out the lake tomorrow." He put a hand to his head. "Whoa. That is one of the weirdest sentences I've ever said."

"Magic'll do that to you," Dipper estimated, starting back up the street with Mabel.

* * *

The next morning, the group rode in the Mystery Cart to the lake. Mabel, much to Dipper's anticipation and dismay, immediately jumped in and swam the backstroke a few yards. Dipper, on the other hand, ran to Soos' repaired boat, the_ S.S. Cool Dude,_ and the others had to sprint to keep up.

As Dipper walked onto the boat, Jake followed him. "Soos gave you the key?"

Dipper nodded. "I've driven a boat before. It's legal."

Jake folded his arms. "Were you driving for your life?"

"That wasn't the only time!" Dipper defended. "My dad used to let me drive the boat back in Piedmont!"

"Drive or steer?"

"Just come on!" Dipper pulled him and the others onboard, untied the moorings, and started the boat. He drove out of the dock and toward the waterfall.

"Why are we going there?" Haley asked.

"There's a cave behind it," Dipper explained. "If any place in the lake has a secret entrance to something, it's there."

Dipper steered the boat into the cave, killed the engine, and tied the moorings to some makeshift cleats he had made.

"You come here a lot, I'm guessing?" Haley asked as she got off.

"Meh. I get bored occasionally."

"And you've never noticed a secret entrance before?"

"I'm a busy guy."

The others got off as well. Trixie looked around and said, "Yeah, 'cause there's so much to do here."

Suddenly, the five kids heard a sound, like something hitting metal.

"What was that?" Spud asked.

"I don't know," Dipper said. "That's never happened be-"

Before he could comprehend what was going on, something that looked like a black boat that was on fire sped out of the fog in the cave.

"Everyone on the boat!" Dipper ordered. He untied the moorings and gunned the engine. They sped out of the cave, not daring to look back. They almost completely crashed into the dock, but they slowed down just in time. Unfortunately, the momentum knocked them into the lake.

Mabel, standing on the dock and peering smugly at the floating kids, leaned over and said, "So how'd it go?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Yes! Over two thousand views for Gravity Dragon! Thank you so much!**

* * *

Chapter 4

"Flashlights."

Haley tossed a few into the backpack. "Check."

It was later that night, and Dipper was reading off a list of supplies for the lake investigation they were going on.

"Wind chimes."

Jake juggled five in a row and three-pointed them into the bag.

"Show-off." Dipper looked back at the list. "Fu Dog."

Spud started to pick Fu up, but he quickly said, "Eh, I'll walk, Spudsy."

"That should do it," Dipper said, crumpling up the list. He tossed it toward the trash and was surprised when it went up in flames. The only thing that landed in the can was a charred remain.

Dipper faced Jake. "Really?"

"Don't look at me!"

Haley smiled. "Well, I can't have Jake taking all the showoff glory, now can I?"

Dipper shrugged. "Fair enough. Now let's go!"

* * *

The kids walked quietly through the deserted city streets, occasionally ducking out of sight when people came outside. As they passed the Corduroy household, the door opened, and Manly Dan stood in the threshold. He looked around and yelled, "You stay away from my daughter, you crazy goth punk!"

He slammed the door shut.

As they continued walking, Jake asked, "Goth punk?"

The Pines twins looked at each other and said, "Robbie."

"Not worth our time," Mabel said.

"Besides," Dipper said, raising an eyebrow, "I just realized something. Manly Dan sounds a lot like you, Fu."

The Shar Pei frowned. "You know, you're right. That's weird."

"We should probably keep going," Spud suggested.

Dipper and Fu nodded, and they continued their walk to the lake.

* * *

After about fifteen minutes, they arrived. They decided to split up so as not to overcrowd things. Mabel and Trixie would scout out the dock and look for any signs of suspicious activity. Jake, Spud, and Fu would take the _S.S. Cool Dude_ out on the water and look for the mysterious black boat they'd seen earlier. And Dipper and Haley would look in the boat house to see if there was any information to be found about the lake.

When Dipper and Haley got to the boat house, however, they found that the door was locked.

Haley stepped forward, transforming her hand to a claw. "Allow me."

Just before she reached the door, however, Dipper put his hand on her shoulder.

"Or," he said, holding up an old-fashioned-looking key, "we could try _not_ being vandals."

Haley turned her hand normal and crossed her arms. "Yes, because swiping the key to the door is much better. Besides, that key doesn't even fit the lock."

"I didn't steal it," Dipper reasoned. "And don't be too sure about the latter."

He stepped forward, inserted the key, and somehow, impossibly, turned it a full 180 degrees and back. A _click!_ sound was heard, and Dipper twisted the doorknob. The door creaked open.

As he pocketed the key, Haley asked, "How did you do that?"

"The key can open any lock in America," he responded as if anyone could just go to a toy store and buy one. "I got it from the 8 1/2th president of the United States of America."

"Um, no," Haley responded. "America has only had 44 presidents."

"How much do you want to bet, Haley-Hoo?" When he saw the look on her face, he added, "That's right. Jake told me about your dad's nicknames for you."

"Shut up, Dipper," she said. "Let's just check out the boat house, shall we?"

He agreed, and the cousins walked inside.

Dipper flipped on the light switch, and he gasped in sync with Haley.

He pulled out the walkie-talkie he'd brought that was identical to the ones the other groups had. He held it up to his mouth, pushed the button, and said, "Uh, guys? You're gonna want to see this."

* * *

**Did anyone catch the Fu Dog/Manly Dan reference? They're both voiced by the same person, John DiMaggio. That's one of the reasons I decided to start this fic in the first place. ANYway, please review and/or PM me!**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"What _is_ all this?" Haley asked.

"I don't know," Dipper answered. "I've never been in here before."

The cousins continued to look around until the others arrived.

"What is it?" Jake asked. "What's so important?"

Dipper and Haley said nothing. They simply gestured to the entire room.

The boat house was filled with all kinds of things regarding the lake. VCR tapes were piled haphazardly on the counters. Countless newspaper articles were tacked to the walls, each one pertaining to the lake, but with different years. The oldest page Dipper saw was from 1863.

_The year Gravity Falls was founded,_ he thought.

And on the back wall was a giant mural of the entire lake, including the boat house.

"It's a librarian's dream house," Fu observed.

"Not just that," Dipper added. "This room must have records of the lake from the very day Gravity Falls was founded."

"So why is it so important?" asked the ever-unimpressed Mabel.

Dipper sighed. "Mabel, come on. Why are we here in the first place? This could help us find out why there's a tunnel leading to the pizza place! And maybe even the black boat!"

Trixie walked up to the mural and said, "Sorry, guys, but there's a little speck of dust on the corner here." She wiped it with her shirt, and was surprised when it didn't come off. "Hey! It's not dirt! It's a signature! I can't read it 'cause it's too small!"

Jake ran forward, said "Eye of the Dragon," and looked at the signature. He finally pulled his head back, and after his eyes returned to normal, he said, "Rafael McGucket."

The Pines twins looked at each other and exclaimed, "McGucket!"

"Who's that?" Trixie asked.

"I think they're referring to me."

The kids turned to the doorway and saw an old man with a long white beard and multiple casts on his limbs.

"Old Man McGucket, local kook," he said, extendlng a casted hand. "At your service."

* * *

"What are y'all doin' in here?" he asked, scratching the side of his head.

"Um," Dipper started, glancing at Mabel. She nodded, and he continued. "We're trying to solve a mystery."

"Well, then, you've come to the right place!" He sat down in a nearby rocking chair. "It's about the lake, isn't it?"

"How'd you know?"

The man gave Dipper a look of pure disbelief. "Well, typically if you're trying to solve a lake mystery, you'll come to a lake."

"Good point," Dipper admitted. He continued to explain all the strange things they'd discovered about the lake.

When he was done, McGucket said, "Yeah, that just about explains it."

"Huh?"

The man took off his hat and pulled out a bottle. Inside was a piece of paper that looked old and worn.

"This note has been passed down from McGucket to McGucket since the day of this town's founding, shipping a generation each time. So I got it from my granddaddy, who got it from his... well, you get the picture. My great-times-six-granddaddy, Rafael McGucket, started the chain when he settled in this here cabin." He put his hat back on and recited the words from memory: "Take things into perspective and the lake will reveal itself."

Spud sighed. "Another cliché! Why do dead people always talk in riddles?"

"I know, right?" McGucket agreed. "But Rafael's gone now, and my dagnabbed son turned this cabin into a boat house. Rafael painted that mural, you know. He always painted the most realistic pictures."

Dipper approached the man and patted him on the shoulder. He turned and looked at the mural, then squinted his eyes. "Hey, wait a minute!"

He ran to the painting and looked closely. "I was right!"

"What?" Mabel asked. "What is it?"

Dipper faced the man. "McGucket. You said Rafael painted _realistic_ pictures, right?"

"Yeah. So?"

"Well, this painting isn't realistic!"

Haley frowned. "What are you talking about? This is the most realistic thing I've ever seen!"

"Yeah, Dipper," Mabel agreed. "Why would you say that?"

Dipper groaned in exasperation. "For the love of Thurop Van Orman, Mabel, you're an arts and crafts master!"

"Since when does one _draw_ in arts and crafts?"

"Good point," Dipper conceded, facing the mural once more. "Can anyone tell me what's wrong with this picture?"

"Perspective's off," Spud said.

He was essentially right- the lake had a slanted look to it.

"Well, yeah," Dipper said, rolling his eyes, "but not that. Anyone else?"

When no one answered, he said, "The background! Look at the background! The farther away things are..."

"...the dimmer they get!" Jake finished.

"Exactly." Dipper pulled out a pencil and turned to McGucket. "Do you mind?"

"Not at all."

Dipper proceeded to shade in where it should have been shaded. When he was done, he stepped back to admire his work.

"There!" He gestured to a region next to the waterfall. It appeared to be an entrance sealed by rocks.

"Way to go, Dipper!" Mabel cheered.

"Come on, guys," Dipper said, grabbing his backpack. "We've got a cave to explore!"

"Yeah!" Spud exclaimed. "We're going spelunking!" Then he giggled, "Spelunking."

"Shut up, Spud!" Jake and Trixie yelled.

* * *

**This is the longest chapter in the fic so far! And for those of you who don't know, Thurop Van Orman is the voice actor for Li'l Gideon. Just a little fourth-wall-breaking for my personal amusement. Please review and/or PM!**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Are you _sure_ this is a good idea?" Mabel asked Dipper as the boat slowly cruised across the frigid lake water. "I mean, what if something happens? What if we get in trouble?"

"If we get in trouble, it'll be after finding something big in this lake. So we'll explain exactly what we were doing."

"That never works, Dipper." She sighed. "No one ever listens to us. They won't see whatever we find, then think we're lying, good-for-nothing children. You of all people should know that."

"Which is exactly why I don't intend to get caught. Have we ever been in too much trouble?"

"Well, no, but..."

"Exactly." He turned away from the wheel and looked at her. "We always manage to think our way out of these situations. Especially with the authorities."

"So you just keep going back for more?!" Mabel stood up angrily. "This is exactly why I choose to ignore everything in Gravity Falls! I like to focus on the good parts! I like to hang out with Candy and Grenda and have spontaneous dance parties with Wendy and-"

"That's just it, Mabel!" Dipper was now completely focused on his sister. "You have those pleasures! Everyone who could possibly be my friend thinks I'm a paranoid loser! All you have to do to get friends is wear an outfit from the 70's and be your cute, lovable, bubbly self! I have to be a completely different person!"

"And how could you be talking about the _mortal_ authorities?" she demanded. "The Dragon Council tried to erase our memories! I don't want to take that chance again!"

"I'll show you chances!" Dipper lunged at her, and she returned the favor. The twins fell to the deck and started attacking each other. Dipper pulled Mabel's hair. Mabel took off Dipper's hat and threw it onto the lower deck.

"Mabel! Dipper!"

Jake jumped forward and tried to separate the twins.

"Jake!" It was Trixie's voice. "Look out!"

At first he didn't know what she meant, but then he looked at the water and understood.

The flaming black boat from before was heading straight toward them.

* * *

"Jakey!" Trixie ran forward and helped in trying to separate the twins. "Grab the wheel!"

"I can't leave Dipper and Mabel!" he responded.

"Well, don't just stand there, dragon boy! Figure something out!"

In desperation, Jake shut his eyes and yelled, "Tail of the Dragon!"

His familiar red dragon tail appeared from his jeans, and he wasted no time. He grabbed the wheel with it and yanked it to the side, and the _S.S. Cool Dude _lurched to the left. The black boat plowed across the water, right where the kids' boat had just been.

Fortunately, the black boat just kept going until it was no longer visible. The kids relaxed.

Jake stood up and pointed to the lower deck. "Dipper, Mabel."

The twins grumbled, but obeyed Jake and went to sit down. They faced away from each other, arms crossed.

That is, until Mabel turned around.

"Um, Dipper?"

Her brother looked at her.

"Do you really think I'm cute and lovable?"

Dipper tried for a smile. "Well, yeah. You practically radiate optimism. You're always making people laugh and being cheerful and knitting amazing sweaters. _That's_ why people like you."

"For my sweaters?"

"No! The other two things!"

She smiled back. "Oh, Dipper."

Dipper would have responded if, at that moment, the black boat hadn't come back and rammed into the side of the _S.S. Cool Dude._

Mabel screamed as she flew sideways. Dipper grabbed her hand and pulled her toward him before she fell off the boat entirely.

"Where'd it go?" Spud asked.

"We can't see it because the driver doused the flames!" Haley yelled.

Dipper stood up and thought for a moment. Finally he said, "Not for long. Spud! Start the engine again!"

Spud jumped into the captain's chair, gunned the engine, and yelled, "Hang on to your mud buckets!"

"Trixie! Grab a water bottle and dump out the water!"

She took one from the backpack, unscrewed the cap, and poured it out.

"What does this do?" she asked.

"You'll see!" he yelled. "Toss it here!"

She did, and Dipper caught it. Quickly, he grabbed a rope, tied it around himself, and tossed the end of it to Mabel. "Lower me down the side of the boat," he requested. "Please."

"What will this-"

"Mabel! I don't have time to explain! _Please_ just trust me!"

She nodded. "Ok."

He walked to the side of the boat and walked down the side, Mabel slowly feeding more and more rope from her hands. Finally he reached the place he wanted.

The gas cap.

He opened the cap and, with the help of the rocking motion of the boat, filled the water bottle up with gasoline.

He walked back up the boat and onto the deck, and just in time. The black boat came around again, and Dipper sprang into action. He threw the bottle onto the other boat and yelled, "Jake!"

Luckily, he understood. He roared fire onto the black boat, and it was immediately ablaze. Unfortunately, it revved its engine and started to go back to where it came.

"We have to follow it!" Dipper cried. "It's getting away!"

"We're almost out of gasoline!" Haley argued. "We'll be shipwrecked!"

Dipper sighed. "You're right. Mabel, we'll-"

"Sorry, Dipper!" Mabel yelled. Before he could comprehend what was happening, she pulled out her grappling hook, aimed it at the boat, and fired.

So all he could do was watch as his sister was yanked off her feet and pulled as the black boat started sailing off into the distance.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

_"Mabel!"_ Dipper ran to the side of the boat and probably would have jumped over the rail if Jake hadn't grabbed him.

"No!" Jake yelled. "Dipper, get a grip!"

"We have to go after her!" he insisted. "We have to save her!"

Jake realized that Dipper was starting to sound hysterical, so he tried to negotiate.

"Ok," he started, "here's the plan. First, Dipper has to calm down."

"I can do that," Dipper said, sitting down and waiting for Jake to continue.

"Haley, Spud, and Fu go back and refuel. I'll fly Trixie and Dipper over and follow the black boat. Understood?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Haley said. "But why Trixie?"

"No, it's cool," Spud said. "Go on ahead, Trix."

"Thanks, Spudinky."

"All right," Jake said, dragoning up and getting on all fours, "let's go!"

* * *

As he flew through the chilly night air, Jake couldn't help but notice that Dipper seemed... distracted. He couldn't see him, but he could almost sense his discomfort. Jake had almost forgotten that despite the fact that he'd had to survive through so much stuff, Dipper was still a twelve-year-old kid.

"So why is it," Trixie asked, "that you and Mabel are always fighting, and yet when she's gone you freak out?"

Dipper took a deep breath. "I don't know. It's just... Mabel's the one thing in this town that most matters to me. She felt my pain when our parents shipped us up here. We never actually had a strong bond with our parents, so we only had each other."

Trixie nodded. "That's what Jake and Spud are like for me. I'm an only child, and my parents are never really around anyway. Spud lives with his nana, and he helps her run the family restaurant. The three of us were a team even before all the magical heebity-jeebity stuff started happening, and it sounds like you and Mabel were too. Don't worry, bro. We'll get her."

He tried for a smile. "Thanks, Trix."

"There!" Jake pointed to the unmistakable light of a fire. "That's the boat!" His claw moved to the back of the boat. "And there's-"

"Mabel!" Dipper yelled. "Jake, go lower!"

"On it." He swooped down fast and caught up to the boat. Mabel was a few feet below them.

She spotted them and yelled, "Dipper! Jake! Help!"

Dipper reached down and grabbed her extended arm. With Trixie's help, he hoisted her onto Jake's back.

"Thanks, guys," she said sheepishly.

"So what do we do now?" Dipper asked.

"We follow this yahoo until he leads us back to his hideout," Trixie said, borrowing some of Stan's vocabulary.

"Sounds like a plan," Jake said. He flew up to the boat and landed on the hull. The other three got off his back, and he returned to his human form.

About ten minutes later, the boat pulled up to the side of a rocky wall. The mystery person- whom Spud would have called a cliché for his black robes, gloves, and mask, no doubt- tapped on the wall. It seemed to be a code- three quick taps, two short ones. A ladder lowered, and the person climbed up.

"He's gone," Mabel said. "Great. Now what?"

The boys did nothing but stare at her, unimpressed.

"What?" she asked. "Oh, all right, fine! He _or she_ is gone! Happy?"

"Yep."

"So," Trixie said, "back to Mabel's question..."

"Well, they're probably going to the secret entrance Dipper found on Rafael's painting," Jake said. "So we could do two things- follow him, or search the boat for clues."

"Let's try the boat," Dipper suggested. "It's safer this way, and he probably won't come back for a while."

The other three nodded, and they climbed onto the deck. It was a sizable boat, Jake noted, a little bigger than the _S.S. Cool Dude._ He was surprised it hadn't completely capsized Soos' boat entirely.

"Hey, guys!" Mabel called. "I think I found something!"

They went over to her and realized she was standing in front of the wheel. She was holding something that both Dipper and Jake knew all too well. Dipper had a similar one in his vest pocket at that very moment, and Jake recognized it as something that one of his least favorite people wore.

Mabel was holding a monocle.

"That's right, you slacker brats!"

The three kids looked up at the rock wall only to see the hooded figure looking down at them. There was no confusing this person's gender now, considering he talked in an accent they all had heard very recently and didn't like in the slightest.

"Now be good little children and come return my monocle to me, eh?" said Professor Rotwood.

* * *

**Hope you liked that chapter! I just want to warn you guys ahead of time that I'm going to be camping this week, so I'll be offline until Saturday.  
**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Jake was thoroughly annoyed.

It wasn't the fact that his previous mythology teacher had been following him around during the lake investigations. That could be easily compensated- Rotwood was a creep. It wasn't the fact that, right after finding him and the others, he'd held them at gunpoint. This was also quickly dealt with- Jake just melted the pistol, causing the gunpowder to explode in Rotwood's face. It was the fact that Gideon had somehow acquired _another_ mystic amulet and given it to Rotwood, this one a dark violet color.

"Now," Rotwood mused, holding up the amulet, "if I let you go, will you be good little children and keep your mouths shut?"

Jake was aware it was a rhetorical question, so he said, "Of course not! And stop calling us good little children! It's weird and pedophilic!"

"It's German," Rotwood corrected. "I'm trying to live up to the stereotype. Everyone knows Germans are creepy, yes, but I'm going to be the first evil German ever!"

Mabel raised a finger and opened her mouth, but Jake pushed her hand down. "Rotwood's a mythology teacher, not a history teacher."

"That doesn't make up for the fact that he's never seen The Last Crusade," she whispered.

The amulet glowed, and the three kids floated into the air. He smirked, turning back to the wall and trying to kick some rocks loose. When that didn't work, he threw something at the wall, stepped away, and pressed a button on a remote in his hand. The wall exploded, and Jake quickly dragoned up and spread his wings to protect the twins from the airborne rubble.

A coughing Rotwood stood up and said, "Gideon taught me that if Plan A fails, switch to Plan B- dynamite."

Dipper shrugged. "That does sound like Gideon."

"Now follow me, please." Rotwood walked into the now open passageway into the side of the cliff, leaving the kids to trail behind in the amulet's grasp.

* * *

Dipper soon realized why he'd never discovered this place before.

For one, the only entrances had been heavily blocked with boulders. He couldn't very easily just buy dynamite at the nearest grocery store.

Second, the place was huge. Dipper couldn't actually see the entire inside of the cliff, but judging by the thinness and smell of the air, there were passageways that went on for miles.

Finally, the passage opened up, and the kids gasped.

The inside of the cliff was completely hollowed out to form a giant cavern. There were large vats of boiling liquid along the side walls. Steel wires held up walkways to provide transport across the cavern. And rising up on a metal platform was the twins' least favorite spoiled brat in the world.

Gideon was in his usual attire- a cyan suit with a black dress shirt and white tie. His sinister blue eyes seemed to bore through the floating kids, and Dipper couldn't help but think again how much of a waste those blue eyes were on the prodigy.

"Well, well, well," Gideon said, looking at Dipper. "Caught snooping around where you weren't supposed to, were you?"

"Um, yeah," Jake said. "That's what snooping means. It was kind of redundant, actually."

Gideon pointed a finger and was about to yell, but Dipper held up a hand and said, "Don't bother, Gideon. I've got this."

Surprising everyone in the room, Dipper turned to Jake and said, "Don't provoke him, Jake. It's bad for his behavior. He starts ripping his hair out and yelling in Southern Latin."

Gideon ripped hair from the sides of his head and yelled, "I do not! Filii stultorum! Pronum fatuis!"

The three kids laughed.

"Enough!" Gideon grabbed the amulet from Rotwood, levitated a nearby boulder, and hurled it at Mabel. Dipper pulled her out of the way, letting the boulder crash into the back wall. The ceiling rumbled, and rocks started falling on the group. One rock knocked the amulet out of Gideon's hand, and the kids fell from its grasp.

"Hurry!" Dipper yelled, pointing down a passage to their left. His sister and cousin wasted no time in following him. The kids sped down the tunnel, Southern Latin curses being shrieked behind them.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The passage opened up again, this one much smaller, and the three relatives ran over to the side wall and doubled over panting. Jake managed to lift his head up, and he said, "Now... what? It's just... the three of us against... a pedophile... and a... baby with influence over the entire town!"

"And genetic issues," Dipper added.

The other two looked at him.

"What? He does! How many white-haired 9-year-olds do you know?"

They heard voices coming down the passage.

"Now what?" Jake asked again.

Mabel looked around the cave and smiled. She ran over to the corner of the cave and pointed. "This!"

Five old mine carts sat on rails that ran out of the cave into darkness.

"Mabel, those probably don't even-"

She jumped in one and shoved a lever forward. It shot down the rails and out of sight.

The boys looked at each other, then ran to join her. Jake's cart flew down the track, and Dipper was about to follow when he had an idea. He sent off the two empty carts, then jumped in the last one and followed his relatives.

The wind howled in the boy's ears, and he couldn't see anything. He pulled out his flashlight, removed the crystal, and shone it ahead of him just in time to see the metal rod flying at his face. He ducked, narrowly missing it.

"Why on earth would that be there in the first place?!" he thought aloud.

Up ahead, he saw a set of tracks that ran across the ones he was on. Right before he crossed those, however, another cart rocketed past him on them. He glimpsed two black pigtails and a blue butterfly shirt.

"Trixie?!"

Before he could comprehend what he'd seen, the cart flew down the track and into a cave that was even bigger than the one Gideon had been in. Mine cart tracks ran rampant all throughout the cave. He spotted Mabel and Jake on these tracks, as well as four other people that were a sight for sore eyes.

"Trixie! Spud!" he yelled. "Haley! Fu!"

"Hi, Dipper!" Trixie yelled. "We came through the cave entrance!"

"Then we got chased by these big guys and we hopped in these cart-like things," Spud said. "I wonder what you'd call a thing like that."

"It's called a mine cart, Potato Boy," their Shar Pei friend said. "Haven't you ever been spelunking?"

"FU!" yelled the Longs.

"What?"

From Jake's direction there came a peculiar sound, and his mine cart started shaking violently. He realized what was happening and jumped out just in time- the cart exploded. Jake sprouted his wings and flew into Spud's cart.

Suddenly, Gideon and Rotwood ran in from the rails the relatives had used for escape. Gideon dove into a passing empty cart, screaming, "Erit ultionem meam!"

Gideon's cart caught up to Dipper's, and from his suit he brandished a foot-long sword. "I've been waiting a long time for this, lignum putridum." He held up the sword dramatically.

"Dipper!" Mabel's cart came up on the other side of her brother's. She ripped a steel rod out of a metal structure next to her and tossed it to him. Unfortunately, that rod had been holding up Haley's cart's track. She tumbled out of her cart, quickly flying to Trixie's.

Dipper held up the rod, blocking Gideon's downstrike. The two boys, standing on the sides of the cart, sliced and parried, always countering each other's attacks. Finally, their weapons interlocked, both boys pressing hard against the other's.

"You're insane!" Dipper cried. "You don't accomplish anything by this!"

"I accomplish the downfall of you!" Gideon yelled. "This was all a trap! I know you couldn't resist sticking your nose where it didn't belong! Everyone knows curiosity killed the cat!"

Dipper ignored the insult to his previous werecat state. However, he couldn't ignore the fierce pain in his foot as Gideon smashed it under his shined brown loafers. He faltered, and Gideon shoved him back. He swung, narrowly missing Dipper but slicing his vest in half.

"Oops," he said, giggling as Dipper stood back up. "I'm so sorry, Dip-" He stopped when he saw the enraged look in his eyes.

"Uh... Dipper?" Gideon asked, backing away as his rival stepped forward.

_"No one slices my vest!"_ the 12-year-old screamed, lunging at Gideon and knocking them both out of his cart. He held Gideon by the collar, and the younger boy's head slammed into one of the structures holding up the rail. Gideon fainted, and Dipper ripped the amulet off of his neck, smashing it on the same structure as he fell.

Jake flew down, fully dragon, with Spud in one arm. He held out his other arm and hoisted Dipper into the air. He flew over to Mabel's cart, which was quickly coming up to a bumper, and let her jump onto his back. He flew them all into Trixie and Haley's cart and dragoned down.

Then Dipper realized something. "Where's Fu?"

"Right here!" The dog jumped from his cart as it hit a bumper and landed in the last remaining cart.

"Ah!" Mabel pointed behind them at the track they had just run across, and how it was crumbling as she spoke.

"This is going to be close!" Dipper yelled, pointing at the passage they were about to enter. They barely made it, the last of the track crashing down as they zoomed into the cave.

After a few moments of pure darkness, the passage opened out one last time, and they were blinded by the morning sunlight. The cart coasted onto track suspended over a stream.

The seven adventurers sighed in relief.

"It's finally over," Jake said. "No more Gideon."

Everyone agreed except Dipper, who was looking around nervously. "Wait a second... this isn't good."

"Why?"

He simply pointed at the rail they were approaching, or, rather, the lack of rail.

They were about to go off the waterfall.

The adventurers all screamed as they plummeted into the cold water.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

For the rest of the day, the kids worked in the Mystery Shack gift shop, but in surprisingly content moods. Dipper rang up the customers with a smile. Mabel helped Tyler pick which shirt to buy. Jake and Haley, ironically, gave tours on the magical and mysterious. And Spud swept the floor with no sound at all, just to practice being a mime. The quiet was ended when Trixie smacked him and told him to stop pretending he was in a box.

Finally the day ended. All the kids went to their rooms to hang out except two. Dipper stayed at the register until the gift shop was completely empty of customers, and Jake stayed to ask him a question.

"Hey, Dipper," Jake said, "why'd you get so mad when Gideon sliced your vest? I mean, you have a dozen more of the same exact same ones. What's special about this one?"

"What's _special_ about this one?" Dipper asked for clarification. When Jake nodded, he said, "Absolutely nothing."

Jake raised an eyebrow. "Ok?" He walked out of the gift shop, leaving Dipper alone.

The Pines boy pulled something out of his vest that he'd had since the beginning of this whole adventure. He twirled it his fingers as he finished, "It's what was inside that was special."

He tucked it into the cash register drawer just as Wendy entered. "Hey, Dipper. I'm here for my shift."

"Oh, hey Wendy." He started to leave but she stopped him. "Um... do you want to stay here and hang? I probably won't even have any-"

Just then, the door opened, and the two kids' least favorite goth entered.

"-customers." Wendy faced the teen. "What do you want, Robbie?"

"To be honest?" He quickly glared at Dipper, then back at Wendy, and said, "You."

"And I don't want you. Now don't make me ban you from the Shack."

He held up his hands innocently. "Ok! Ok! I just want to buy a Pitt Cola!"

She sighed. "Fine." She rang him up as he went to get one from the fridge. She opened the drawer and saw what Dipper had left in the register.

She looked up. "You know what, Robbie? I _will_ give you another chance."

He turned. "Really?! Yes!"

Wendy stood up and vaguely noticed the hurt look on Dipper's face. "Yeah. Let's blow this place."

She walked over and stood right next to him. The new couple walked to the door and out of the gift shop.

"So where should we go?" Robbie asked.

"Right here." She punched him the face, causing him to spin around 180 degrees. She took this opportunity to kick him in the butt, and he fell on his face in the dirt.

She dusted her hands off and reentered the gift shop. Dipper stood right in front of her, grinning from ear to ear. "Thanks, Wendy."

"No problem, Dipper." She sat back down at the register, and Dipper went into the back room. Now alone, Wendy opened the drawer and removed the "anonymous" rose, sniffing it, then putting it in her hair.

"No problem at all."


End file.
